Kommersant: “Hasty conclusions”
There is always someone in Perm to correct the prime minister if he makes a mistake.
On January 21, Valery Sukhikh, acting prime minister of the Perm Territory, made an unexpectedly loud statement with regard to the federal government while reporting to the Regional Legislative Assembly on measures implemented after a devastating fire at the Khromaya Loshad (Lame Horse) club.
Sukhikh said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's December 2009 conclusions on the deplorable state of the Perm Region's healthcare system were "hasty." Some of the delegates called Sukhikh to order and told him not to make "unjustified accusations" that "shift responsibility on federal agencies." After the meeting, Sukhikh said he had something else in mind.
On January 21, Valery Sukhikh, acting prime minister of the Perm Territory, addressed the Regional Legislative Assembly and reported on measures implemented after the December 5, 2009 fire at the Khromaya Loshad (Lame Horse) club that killed 155 people. Notably, Sukhikh touched upon the results of a check of regional healthcare facilities conducted by a commission of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development. A comprehensive assessment of the regional healthcare system was conducted immediately after the night-club fire. The check was motivated by a statement of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who said during his visit to Perm that facilities visited by ministerial specialists were in a deplorable state and that they did not even find the required equipment there. The commission has not yet submitted its final findings. Although Perm Territory Governor Oleg Chirkunov said after the commission's work that federal officials did not voice any serious remarks, regional authorities are waiting with alarm for ministerial conclusions.
"It would be incorrect to voice claims against those who had worked that night," Sukhikh said on January 21. "As far as the prime minister's conclusions are concerned, they were made on the second day after the tragedy. In our opinion, such conclusions were hasty," Sukhikh added. According to Sukhikh, only unofficial findings and the commission's statement that it has no misgivings on emergency-service operations are currently available. Dmitry Trishkin, acting territorial minister of healthcare, told deputies that the findings had been prepared, signed by all officials, and that the document would soon be submitted to the territorial government.
It is not the first time that territorial officials have made skeptical statements about the conclusions made by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Minister of Healthcare and Social Development Tatiana Golikova after the tragedy. Last week, the deputies asked Trishkin what the Minister did not like. "The entire medical personnel worked in an extremely tense situation, simultaneously treating numerous patients. I don't think that the minister of healthcare has witnessed such a situation very often," he replied.
In effect, Sukhikh's January 21 report was only criticised by deputy Irina Koryukina, rector of the Perm Medical Academy. Koryukina called on the Territorial Government to refrain from "unjustified statements" regarding the "hasty conclusions" of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. "I know Tatiana Golikova, and I can say that she is an extremely skilled specialist and manager. I think the approach voiced by Valery Sukhikh is basically incorrect. Instead of shifting responsibility for territorial problems on the federal government, we must admit mistakes and correct them," Koryukina said. "If the commission's conclusions were favourable, we would have seen them long ago," she added.
The career of Valery Sukhikh was seriously tarnished after the night-club tragedy. Sukhikh is a member of the pro-Government United Russia party and the first 100-strong Presidential Reserve. The territorial government has resigned, and Sukhikh works as acting prime minister of the territory. United Russia submitted a list of candidates for the post of Primorye Territory Governor, including Sukhikh, in fall. The governor's administration claims that Sukhikh made a slip of the tongue while commenting on Putin's statements and that he implied the hasty conclusions of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development, submitted to the prime minister. After the Legislative Assembly meeting, Sukhikh said what he had in mind. "When the prime minister came to Perm, he received first-hand information from experts of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development that was compiled after a few hours of their work in an emergency. Addressing the Legislative Assembly today, I said we were expecting the results of an official comprehensive check in order to carefully assess them and take action, because the prompt conclusions of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development, submitted to the prime minister, could be insufficiently accurate," said Sukhikh.
On January 21, the press service of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development said it still lacked information on the results of the check.
By Vitaly Vodopyanov
